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Budget Session Narrates Story Of Divided Opposition

Different opposition leaders are inviting regional leaders from other states as a show of strength to take part in public rallies.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge holds a meeting with leaders of several political parties on Feb. 2 to chalk out their strategy for the ongoing budget session of Parliament. (Source:&nbsp;Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha from Twitter)</p></div>
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge holds a meeting with leaders of several political parties on Feb. 2 to chalk out their strategy for the ongoing budget session of Parliament. (Source: Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha from Twitter)

In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in May 2024, regional leaders' desire to play a larger national role is dividing opposition parties, both inside and outside the Parliament, during the ongoing budget session. 

While different opposition leaders are holding public meetings in various parts of the country and inviting regional leaders from other states as a show of strength to take part in these rallies, the differences have become stark in the last fortnight.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her desire to play a larger role in national politics, by launching a campaign against both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya and Tripura, where assembly elections are scheduled later this month.   

To make matters worse for the Congress, which was hoping to play the role of an umbrella organisation to bring together all opposition parties, the plans got further dented after Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced that the recently-formed Bharat Rashtra Samithi will work towards the formation of a front against both the Congress and the BJP.

The newly formed political party, BRS, wants to bring together all regional parties in a non-Congress and non-BJP political entity before the 2024 polls.  

Furthering his decision to bring together regional parties, KCR is now planning to hold a public meeting in Delhi and has invited chief ministers and prominent regional leaders from at least seven states. The divide between the Congress and KCR has taken a serious turn, and the former Congress president has already clarified that his party will have no alliance with the BRS, either in Telangana or at the national level.

"It is too early to talk about election strategy. We will plan it when we are closer to the 2024 elections. However, in Parliament, all opposition parties are united in their opposition to the BJP. We are fighting against BJP and its policies. It is true that we are boycotting debates and other opposition parties are taking part in debates, but we are together against the BJP," said K Keshav Rao, leader of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in Parliament.  

The lack of understanding between the opposition parties has become visible in the past two weeks. Even during the ongoing budget session, opposition parties are divided on several issues. It is interesting that the BRS and the Aam Aadmi Party are not part of the meetings called by Congress-led opposition parties to frame a common strategy on floor management in both houses of Parliament.   

At the recent meeting of political parties in Srinagar, where Rahul Gandhi led the Bharat Jodo Yatra, several political leaders either chose not to attend the meeting or were not invited. Among the political parties that were missing from the public meeting of Rahul Gandhi was Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav.  

"It is too early to talk about opposition unity because there is still time for the general election. It is true that there are many opposition parties that have differences with each other, but it is to be acknowledged that all opposition parties are fighting against the BJP. When the time comes, people will notice that there is greater understanding between opposition parties against the BJP, especially on issues related to people," said Naval Kishore, spokesperson for the Rashtriya Janata Dal.     

Making matters worse for the Congress, the upcoming elections in Meghalaya, Tripura, and Karnataka this year are going to prove a difficult task as they will not only face the BJP, but also regional parties that are trying to expand their electoral base. While the BRS and the Janata Dal (Secular), or JDS, have formed an alliance in Karnataka, the Trinamool Congress has decided to contest elections in Tripura and Meghalaya, potentially undermining the Congress' chances of defeating the BJP.  

"The decline of Congress at the national level has allowed different regional leaders to aspire for a national role. Due to the BJP's dominance in the country, regional leaders are attempting to form their own groups ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

"It will have to be seen if such groupings work at the national level or not. Earlier, there was only the NDA and the UPA, and most of these regional parties were part of either of the two larger groups, but now they want to play a larger national role," said AK Verma, director of the Centre for the Study of Society and Politics in Kanpur.

Gyan Verma was Senior Editor (Politics) at Mint. He has been a journalist for nearly two decades and writes on the politics and intersection of policy and politics.

The views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of BQ Prime or its editorial team.